Quads and Glutes 2.0

Hi Folks! Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! What better way to start off a new year than a grueling workout? :-) I posted a workout on FB yesterday, but this is another version of it..

1. Leg Extensions: 2 warm up sets 15 reps; 4 x 12-15 working sets

2. Seated Leg Press: 1 warm up 15 reps; 4 x 15 working sets

3. Super Set: 3 sets
Hack Squat 12 reps (increasing weight each set)
Walking Lunges (14/12/last set 30 reps just body weight)

4. Sideways One Leg Press: 15 reps per leg

5. Superset: 3 sets
Leg Press: 15 reps per leg
Glute flutter kicks (20-30 reps - 10-15 kicks per side)

6. Superset:
Glute Cable Kickbacks 3 x 12
Sumo Squats with heavy dumbbell 3 x 10 reps per side

7. Superset:
Smith Squats 3 x 12
Box Jumps (well jumps on a bench) 3 x 10

8. FST-7 Burnout for Quads: Leg Extensions (again)
7 sets x 12- 15 reps (30 secs rest between sets)

Slight changes, but changes nonetheless. :-) Enjoy!

 

 

Late Night Ramblings...

I will admit, I'm terrible with keeping in touch with people or keeping up with things I commit to do. I hardly talk on the phone, I'd rather email/text/procrastinate. If something isn't constantly at the forefront of my mind, I tend to forget about it.

This blog.

It hasn't been at the forefront of my mind, because my "so called life" has been spinning in all directions. It's been a stressful last few months. Some of the stress self-inflicted. Some can't be helped. Right now, I'm supposed to be excited and happy and nervous because I'm entering contest prep, and I'm certain I'll do/be better than my first cycle. However. How...Ever.... I'm not any of those things. I'm sullen, sad, tired, exhausted, overwhelmed, and to be quite honest, I'm not handling it very well. I snap at people, I've isolated myself, I over train at times because it's my way to cope. Hmm. To add insult to injury, my Grandmother passed away this week. Luckily, I saw her about 9 days prior to her death because I happen to be going to the DMV Area. See.. I hadn't seen her in 12 years. I'd talked to her, but hadn't laid eyes on her. I feel bad that I let 12 years go by, but it's life. We make mistakes, we learn and we move on.

There's that.

What else is there? Pfft.. Do you have a bowl of popcorn popped and some diet ginger ale? We could be here a while...*sigh* I'm not going to go into every single nook and cranny of my life right now and why I feel the way I do. At times, I'm not certain if I can handle contest prep right now. I hardly sleep (which I should be doing now), I don't ever have time for anything (out the door before 7 for and hour and a half commute to work, then the same commute --- sometimes longer--- to the gym after work), I have two actual paying jobs which stress me, I have three different professions (all with current licenses) that I haven't been able to make work, and I'm always hungry.. *shakes head* Such is life.. and I'm just trying to stay afloat.

Why did I write all this? I dunno... My mind was moving, so my fingers wanted to get in on it.. Plus, even though I don't do it often, I like to write. I have to get the crazy between my ears on the the  paper.. ok screen. Well, I guess I needed to get all that off my chest because now, I am crazy tired.

Tomorrow is a new day, let's make it great.. It's Friday, for goodness sake...

L.

Odds and Ends...

Good morning and Happy Monday!

Trust me, I'm not as excited about a Monday as you think, so.. :-) I've started my Contest Prep for April, and it's not as bad as the first time. Well, still hungry, but that's a given. I don't even feel like I'm in prep, but I am. The diet, the workouts.. Should be amazing!

But this post isn't about prep. It's about body maintenance. Namely our hands. This is a photo of my left hand:

Right. I lift heavy weights on a regular basis, and even though I wear gloves, I still get calluses. Sigh... Also, I used the bathroom quite often, so I'm washing my hands all day long, which leave them very dry. Solution? A DIY hand scrub! yay! Using things you should have around the house... Here's the recipe:

• 2 tbsp used coffee grinds (I get mine from work, since I don't have a coffee maker at home)
• 1 egg yolk (here's a use for those egg yolks we always toss! 
• a few drops of lemon juice
• and a 1 tsp of the following:
• honey
• castor oil (or which ever oil you have around)
• salt (sometimes I use brown sugar -- I don't eat it, so might as well scrub  with it)

Mix well in a lil bowl and store in the fridge (the egg yolk...). I'll put some soap on my hands, then take some of the mixture and rub it into my hands to exfoliate and soften them a bit. I then follow up with some shea butter. In larger batches, I've used it on my legs and feet in the shower. be careful as it could get messy! :-) About calluses,... a pumice stone used regularly helps to keep your hands soft. We may lift with men, but no need to be rough like them ;-).

Happy training!

The Next Day

Hi! It's morning of day two... :-)

Watch "The Morning After..." on YouTube

DC!

Hi everyone... It's been a lil bit since I last posted. But since I've got posted I'm going back to working out. Trying to lean out before I officially start prep in January. I started back on Wednesday with a chest workout and I still feel it.

As for DC, I'm here training with a great friend who happens to train competitors, his wife included. Great people... Really blessed to be able to be here with them.

This video is from day one, heading to their location for a back workout. Enjoy!

Watch "First day of DC" on YouTube

Fun Facts About Being a Bodybuilder

I was thinking the other day, being a Bodybuilder is quite interesting. People wouldn't believe what our life is like... So I compiled the following list of facts about the life that popped into my head.. Feel free to add to it!


Here we go!
15. You bring your own food on dates and do not share. -_- And if it is meal time, you WILL eat during a movie or stand outside a club to eat.

14. It's a national disaster if the food.scale should break or a measuring spoon goes missing.

13. You develop an addiction to peanut and/or almond butter. For that reason, you live by the rule that any butter consumed from the lid or rim of the jar does not count in your daily macros.

12. You wake up at 3 am to eat. Yes, then go back to sleep and wake up with cashews in your bed.

11. Any ache, pain or bruise is healed by either icing it, stretching it out, or by simply walking it off.  Pfft.. that broken finger will be good as new in a week.. :-)

10. Constipation and gas are no longer a four letter words, embarrassing or shameful. Pftt.. high protein diets come with this and it hurts! You will be surprised how smoothly that word rolls off your tongue when you can't go and need help.

9. Water is the enemy. We all know It's good for you, but constant bathroom breaks are a pain, especially when trying to travel long distances.

8. The world revolves around your training and diet... These become staples of.your.conversion: "sorry, I can't.. That's a training day", "I can't stay out late, the longer I'm up the more I have to eat." " can I bring food there?"  "What do you mean we only get 30 minutes in the gym??"

7. You get excited over and will plan your day around a sale on eggs, chicken breasts, protein powder and training gear. Black Friday has nothing on us.

6. You think its normal to have clothing both 3 sizes too big and 2 sizes too small, because you refuse to buy new clothes for bulking and/or cutting season.

5. Plates are obsolete. Almost every meal you eat is out of a reusable, plastic container.

4. You only know how to count in multiples of 45. Everything else is irrelevant.

3. You have an almost neurotic, unnatural attachment to food. When it is time to eat, IT IS TIME TO EAT. Nothing is as important as that meal. If someone or something dares to come between you and that meal... God help us all.

2. The only real time you do laundry is when you run out of gym clothes.

1. Gum and crystal light become a food groups.

A bonus: No one offers you food anymore. No one wants to be subjected to 20 questions about the meal ( how much meat is this? What kind of bread is that? How did you make it? What kind of oil is this? Is that rice? You have any veggies to go with this? Ooh, wait, you wouldn't happen to have a food scale and measuring.cups? Why are you.looking at me.like that?? What???)

The Part of Prep You Hardly Hear About..

Hey folks.. Just wanted to discuss a part of prep that I've struggled with for a while.
Loose skin from weight loss. I'm a big girl, I admit that, and I hold weight (fat and muscle) like a cup holds water. Shew...  And when I lose weight, my skin isn't as tight as I need it to be, to step on stage in a piece of dental floss... Sigh.. I'm not in my 20's anymore, and of course, gravity and lack of "snap back", cause me to have the dreaded "loose skin" issue. Yeah, sure some of it is fat, but when I lose weight, my skin doesn't get as tight as say... a younger woman. It's not an uncommon issue, even to non-competitors. So, what is a girl to do?

Of course, there's surgery. Yeah... I'm not in the position to fork out money for skin tightening/laser/tucks/etc. -_- Another option? The good old, old fashioned way. If you look at the picture below, these are some of the items in my "Let's Get Lynette's Skin Tight" Arsenal:

1. Reviva Labs Elastin and Collagen Body Firming Lotion:

Fights slackened skin during weight loss

Helps avoid stretchmarks

Use on "loose" skin (upper arms, thighs, stomach, buttocks)

2. Reviva Labs Transfirmation Lotion: 

Elastin...is the body's main substance that keeps the skin firm on your face and body. But during quick weight loss, skin's elastin and elastic fibers are weakened. Result? Skin can become slack, start to sag; upper arms, breasts or thighs can start to lose tone and resilience. The answer, externally? The proper elastin and more. Elastin effectiveness is related to its amino acid content. Our special elastin has 10 times the amino acid content of other elastins. What's more, it's supported by the latest skin-firming discoveries.

 There's DMAE to aid muscle tone. Plus, mucopolysaccharides and collagen (the other major elements of elastic fibers), and even soy protein.

 3. Reviva Labs Seaweed Bar Soap:  In Spain, Seaweed Soap is even used as part of one's slimming routine, as well as for silky-smooth skin. It's a soap bar the whole family will love!Instead of animal tallow (sodium tallowate), common to most soaps, we feature a pure vegetable base of palm and coconut oils.And seaweed's scrub action, to help remove hidden impurities and invigorate skin, makes our Seaweed Soap a family favorite in the shower or bath. 

4. NeoCell Super Collagen™ Type 1 and 3 Powder: COLLAGEN is a complex structural protein that maintains strength and flexibility throughout the body. SUPER COLLAGEN™ is made up of the collagen peptides Type 1&3 which support collagen in skin, hair, nails, muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones. Super Collagen™ is enzymatically hydrolyzed, providing an amino acid ratio with a low molecular weight for maximum bioavailability and utilization by the body. When Super Collagen™ is taken internally, the body receives the raw materials it needs to supplement the collagen found in all of these areas and may act as a messenger to trigger the synthesis of new collagen fibers. Super Collagen™ is neutral in taste and is specifically formulated in an easy to take powder form. It works synergistically with Vitamin C and is recommended to be mixed with orange juice or a Vitamin C supplement.

5. Bio Oil Scar Treatment: helps improve the appearance of scars, stretch marks and uneven skin tone. Its advanced formulation, which contains the breakthrough ingredient PurCellin Oil™, also makes it highly effective for numerous other skin concerns, including aging skin and dehydated skin. (<--- SCARS! I'm so clumsy, I need this! )

(all descriptions are from vitacost.com)

Granted, who knows if these products will ACTUALLY work. But I can tell you, at least I will have some of the softest skin, this side of the Mississippi. Pfft... But seriously, in contest prep, most people are concentrating on  diet, training, supps, costume, but some people forget about the biggest organ.. SKIN!! You have to take care of it, esp while you're young... In addition to the above, I'm drinking plenty of water, supplementing and making sure to try to get rest. (I said "try")

  

 

End of Off Season!

Hey... Welcome to my blog! Here's the first in a series of videos, blogs, posts, photos, etc chronicling my journey through my first cycle of the 2013 Contest Prep Season..  This will be interesting.. :-)

xoxo

:-)